Kettle Brand, owned by Diamond Foods, is one of the largest snack food manufacturers in the U.S. The company is well-known for its potato chips in a variety of flavors. Based in Oregon, it has branches in European and Asian countries, as well.
History
Kettle Brand was created by Cameron Healy in 1978, when he created what he and his friends considered the perfect potato chip. In 1971, Healy accepted Sikhism and in 1972 he opened Golden Temple Bakery in Eugene, Oregon, which manufactured whole grain foods. In 1973, Healy gave the bakery as a donation to the local Sikh community and later changed his name to Khirbao Singh Khalsa. He then opened Golden Temple Natural Food Distributors.
In 1978 he opened N.S. Khalsa Company in Salem, Oregon and they manufactured and distributed trail mixes, roasted nuts and cheese. After many experiments with Russet Burbank potatoes, he found a recipe for making potato chips. The chips were made by hand in kettles, and he named them ‘Kettle Chips.’ Within a year, the sales of the company reached $3 million.
The 1980s and 1990s saw the expansion of the company. New flavors were added such as Red Chile and New York Cheddar with Yogurt, Herbs and Green Onion. During a trip to London, he met Tim Meyer and decided to take his products to Europe. They rented a manufacturing plant owned by Tuckers and started manufacturing potato chips. The business turned out to be very successful, and sales skyrocketed. He also opened another manufacturing plant in Canada and started distributing products to other parts of Europe, and Japan.
In 2000, the company created an ecommerce site to encourage online shopping. Lion Capital bought Kettle Brand in 2006. In 2007, a new manufacturing plant was opened in Beloit, Wisconsin. The same year, the company received LEED Gold Certification for Sustainable Design, for its Beloit plant. Diamond Foods, the current owners of the company acquired it in 2010. The facilities in the Beloit plant were also increased in the same year. Kettle Brand introduced 10 new crazy potato chip flavors on Jan. 11, 2011.
Stats
Company headquarters: 3125 Kettle Court SE, Salem, Oregon
Ownership: Private Subsidiary (Owned by Diamond Foods)
Number of manufacturing plants in USA: 2; Salem, Oregon, Beloit, Wisconsin
Annual revenue: $60 million
Number of employees: 700
Geography: Worldwide
Demography: Young, Natural and Organic
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